Automobile-theft alarm



E. G. WARNER.

AUTOMOBILE THEFT ALARM.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 19, 1920.

1,367,337, Patented Feb. 1,1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

E. G. WARNER.

AUTOMOBILE THEFT ALARM.

APPLICATION FILEL MAY 19. 1920.

,Patentd Feb. 1, 1921. I 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

PATENT OFFICE.

EDWIN GEO. \VARNER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

AUTOMOBILE-THEFT ALARM.

Specifics tion of Letters Patent,

flF'atented Feb. 1, 1921.

Application filed May 19, 1920. Serial No. 382,483.

To all (12. 1 0112. a may concern lie it known that 1, lflowjnv (inn.lviuinnn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago in thecountyof Cook and State of Illinois, have invented new'and usefullmprovements in Automobile-Theft Alarms of which the following is aspecification.

The object of the invention to provide comparatively inexpensive andrelatively simple means adapted to be applied as an attachment to amotor vehicle of any of the Well-known commercial types as a means ofgiving an alarm which is distinguishable from other forms or types ofsignals, to indicate the surreptitious removal or. driving of a machineequipped with a device to warn the owner and to guide ol'licei's of thelaw in following the thief; and with this object in view, the inventionconsists of the construction and combination of parts of which apreferred embodiment is shown in the drawings, wherein Figure 1, is aView of the alarm apparatus applied in operative position to a motorvehicle. a

Fig. 2,. is a plan View of the same.

Fig. 3, is a front View of same.

Fig. i, is a detail sectional view showing the means whereby motion iscommunicated to the bell and hammer.

Fig.5, is a view of the key holderand bell attachment.

Fig. 6, is a detail viewpartly in section of the connection between thefollower and the bell hammer.

Fig. 7, is a detail oerspective view of the follower actuating plugv orpin.

Fig. 8, is a similar view of the bell ham mer.

Fig. 9,. is a similar view of the key. Fig. 10 is a detailfsectionalview of the key on the plane indicated by the line The apparatus isadapted for actuation by the drive or motor shaft of the vehicle whichis indicated atylO in the arrangement illustrated in the drawing, andembodies an alarm sounding means such as a reeiprocable hammer 11adapted for terminal contact with a plate 12 or the equivalent thereofsuitably suspended in an inconspicuous po' sition beneath the floor ofthe car body as indicated in Fig. 3 of the drawing, and a hammeractuating means driven by the motor shaft and capable of location inoperative or inoperative relation with the motor shaft, to the end thatwhen not re quired or when the machine occupied the alarm mechanism maybe disconnected, whereas when the vehicle isto be left temporarllyunoccupied, the alarm mechanism may be connected so that the operationof the machine by unauthorized persons. not having-the means to un-setthe alarm, will be communicated by the sounding of the bell orequivalent audible signal which. should be of such a nature andconstruction as to he readily distinguishable from ordinary vehiclebells, fire bells and like alarms which are used with authority, forexample by munici ial oliicers.

In the illustrated embodiment of the iii-' vention, the alarm mechanismembodies a drivenshaft 12 connected with theniotor drive shaft 10 bymeans of a chain lizrtra'w ersing the sprocket wheels 14 and 15, saiddriven shaft carrying a segment or mutilated gearlti for operation inconnection with a rack 17 carried by the bell hammer 11, said hammerbeingayieldably held in striking position by means of a spring 18 sothat when said shaft 12' is rotated, it alternately retracts the hammerby the engagement of the gear 1.6 with the rack 17 in op position to thetension of the spring 18 and thus hoists the hammer to bedriven forwardin contact with the bell as indicated in Fig. 3. a I

The rack with whichthe hammer rod ll is provided is formed as a )art ofa slide 19 having lateral longitudinal grooves 20 for engagement by lips21 formed on a guide head 22 which in turn contitutes an element of afollower 23 of which the perforated barrel 2a is engaged by a stem 25forming a pin or plug Theblock is revolubly mounted in a tubular casing27 permanently substantially secured to and dependingfrom the undersurface of the floor 28 of the car ora like convenient support and theupper end of said block is notched to form head 29 of which the end sideconstitutes a shoulder 30 to bear upon a shoulder formed by the reducedlower portion of the door of the casing. while revolubly mounted in theupper or large portion of the door section is a thimble 31 held fromdisplacement by a key hole plate 32 which may be secured to the uppersurface of the floor of the car and is cut away as indicated at toprovide for theintroduction of a key 34: in which-the key socket 35seats operatively the block or pin 26. Preferably the socket and key areof unusual shape as for example longitudinally ribbed or corrugated soas to avoid the possibility of using an ordinary knife blade or itsequivalent in lieu of a key and also preferably the lateral edges of thekey as indicated particularly in Fig. 10 are reduced or sharpened ontheir lower or inner ends, and one end of the key may also be cut awayto provide a preferred construction to which a key socket 36 in theupper end of the actu ating block or pin 26 is adapted to increase thedifliculty of surreptitious adjustment of the said block or pin after ithas been set by V the owner of the car to give the intended alarm.

Under normal conditions, when the car is occupied and is being driven bythe owner or with the authority of the owner, the rack by which motionis communicated to the alarm sounding element or hammer 11 is withdrawnfrom engagement with the mutilated gear 16 by backing the reverselyshifting block or pin 26 to retract the follower 23. When the machine isto be locked, the proper key may be introduced into the socket in thethimble 31 until its extremity engages the socket 36 in the actuatingblock or pin, whereupon the latter may be turned to advance the followerto cause engagement of the rack with the pinion 16 so that anyrevolution of the mot-or shaft ofthe car will result in the alternatecontraction and release of the alarm sounding element and hence thegiving of the alarm to notify those within hearing that the car is beingmoved without the authority of the owner.

A plate 37 may be mounted pivotally as at 38 upon the key hole plate 32to exclude dust from the key socket and obviously the key hole plate maybe arranged in the floor of the car beneath the mat ordinarily employedso as to be inconspicuous and unlikely to attract the attention of anyone desiring to move the car without the authority of the owner. Themechanism beneath the car floor and constructed and arranged as aboveindicated, may be compactly disposed so as to attract little ornoattention and obviously may be applied to hicles having areciprocablealarm sounding device, a mutilated gear and rack mecha nism having powerto communicate motion to the sounding element, the gear being actuatableby the vehicle motor, and means for positioning the elements of the gearand rack mechamsm 1n and out of operative relation.

An alarm mechanism for motor vehicles having a reciprocable alarmsounding element provided with a rack and driven shaft actuatable by thedriving shaft of the vehicle motor and provided with a mutilated gearfor actuating the said rack and means for moving the rack into and outof operative relation with said gear.

3. An alarm mechanism having a spring actuated reciprocable alarmsounding element provided with a rack, a mutilated gear actuatable bythe vehicle motor for periodically retracting the said sounding elementin opposition to the tension of the actuating spring, and meansincluding a follower having a guide head engaged with said rack forpositioning the latter relative to the mutilated gear.

4. An alarm mechanism for motor vehicles and spring actuatedreciprocablc alarm sounding element and means for periodicallyretracting the same including a motor driven mutilated gear forengagement with a rack connected with said reciprocable element, afollower having a guide head in sliding ongagement with saidrcciprocable element and an actuating block or pin or moving thefollower to determine the position of the rack relative to the mutilatedgeiur and means for communicating motion to the actuating block or pin.

An alarm mechanism for motor vehicles having a spring actuated alarmsounding element, provided with a rack and motor driven mutilated gearfor engagement with said rack to retract the reciprocable element, saidrack being mow able into and out of operative relation with the gear incombination with an axially moving follower for sliding engagement withsaid rack, a follower actuated pin or block mounted for rotary movementand for threading engagement with the follower and an independentrevoluble thimble disposed in concealing relation with the block or pinand having a key socket in registration with a key socket in theadjacent end of said block or pin.

6. An alarm mechanism for motor vehicles having in combination with areciprocable motor driven alarm sounding element and means for disposingsaid element into and out of operative relation with the motor drivengears, a follower connected with said alarm sounding element and arevoluble actuating pin or block operatively connected with thefollower, a thimble arranged in co-axial relation with the block or pinand provided with a ilXhkey socket said block or pin being also providedwith a key seat for registration with the key socket of the thimble.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

EDWIN GEO. WARNER.

